Drainboard



Sept. 19, 1939. KC. HAVEN 2,173,610

DRAINBOARD Filed April 1, 1937 luvs m" an KENT 5i HAVEN mam ATTUHNEY Patented Sept. 19,1939

UNITED STATES armors nnsmiroann Kent 0. Haven, Syracuse, 1v. r.. mi itoQEaIy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N; Y.,

a corporation of Delaware Application April 1.1m. no. more a Claims. (01. 210-75) useful im- .My invention relates to new and movements in drainboards for laundering machines and relates more particularly to a drain or drip board adapted to be used with a clothes drier or a drainboard to be used'in connection with that type of washing machine. in which an extractor or clothes drying apparatus is mounted on 9. common base with a washing machine.

In clothes washing and drying machines of the m type wherein a pair of vats are employed, one for containing elements for washing the clothes and the other for containing mechanism for drying the clothes, the washing and extractor vats are usually mounted in juxtaposition upon a common 5 base. To prevent drippage of the cleansing. fluid on the floor as the clothes are transferred from the washing vet to the extractor vat, it has been customary to utilize some form of drainboard between the washing vat and the extractor vat I adapted to cause such drippase to. drain back into the washing vat. t

v Inadditlonto preventing drippaze of fluid on to the floor as the clothes are transferred from the washer to. the extractor, it is desirable to provide means for preventing drippage as'the clothes .are transferred from an external vessel, such-as a laundry tray, to the extractor or'from the 8X1 ktractor ,to thegexternal vessel. Several methods have been employed to accomplish both of these 3- objects. One of the mostcommon is toprovide two fixed drainboards one on each side of the extractor. Anotheris to provide a single drainboard rotatable to various circumferential positions with respect to the extractor. A third method is to provide a fixed drainboard between the extractor and washefand utilize the under surface of-the cover of the extractor as a second drainboard. Each of these methods required rather cumbersome,expensiv'e apparatus or ap-' paratus which is not very convenient to operate.

An object of my invention is to provide an in- .expensive drainboard structure which is easy to operate and which is adapted to accomplish the purposes outlined above. 1 t A further object of my invention is to provide a combined cover and drainboard structure which, when in one of its positions, acts as a cover for the extractor and, when in the other of [its positions, provides two drainboard surfaces to prevent dripp ge of fluid on to the floor either when'the clothes are being transferred from the washing vat to the extractor or from the extractor toanexternaivessel. t More specifically, my invention contemplates theprovisionofaframememberatthetopofthe' extractor vat adapted to carry a two-part cover which, when closed, serves as a cover for the extractor vat and which, whenopen, has one half extending between the extractor and the washing vat and the other half extending-outwardly from f, theextractor vat irom another side to thus pro vide two drainboard surfaces on opposite sides, of the extractor vat. a a 1 Other objects and advantages of my invention. will be more apparent from thejfollowing descri'pQ tlon when taken in connection with the accon'r pa'nying drawing, in which: I I

Figure 1 is afragmentary-verticalview indicat-1 ing a washing vet and an extractor vat with my novel drainboard structure mounted thereon. 15 Figure 2 is a top plan view showing my-novel drainboard structure with one-half of the cover in an open drainboard position. I I Figure 3 is a view taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2. I Figure 4 is a view taken on the line 4-4. of Figure 2. I .Although mynovel drainboard structure, generally indicated by the numeral I l, is.adapted to be'used with an extractor mounted separately 35 froma washing-machine, it hasbeen shown in use on an extractor vat 12 which is mounted in juxtaposition to a washing vat l3 containing the usual means for washing clothes. It will be I understood that the'extractor vat i2 and the washing vat I; are mounted on a common base -supported by legs as shown, for example, in Nel son'Patent No. 2,007,112, filedDcember 8, 1932, and issued July'2, 1935. The extractor vat l2 hasmounted therein any suitable means fo'r-dryingclothes, such as a rotatable perforated basket l5, which, since it does not constitute a part'of my present invention, need not be more particularly described. The washing and drying mechanism may-be driven by any suitable means and may be driven either separately or from a common motor. To receive the combined drainboard and cover structure II, the upper end of the extractor vat I2 is bentoutward, as indicated at N, and the upper circular edge thereof is provided with a 'U- shaped annular rubber ring. A frame member I! has a. downwardly depending annular flange "l8 adapted to be wedged inside of the U-shaped,ring II to thereby retain the combined cover-"and drainboard .structure Ii in position on top of the extractor vat l2. A plurality of tie rods 20 extending between the base (not shown) and the frame serve to hold the structure rigidly in ass'embled condition. An opening marked by the u depending' flange I8 is provided in the frame member to enable access to the rotatable basket I 5 for convenient insertion or removal of clothes.

The frame member I! has a shelf portion I9 extending completely around the top of the extractor which may, if desired, be slightly inclined toward the extractor in all directions. Fluid dripping on to this portion of the drainboard structure will flow into the extractor vat over the annular flange l8,and into the space 2| around the rotatable basket and thence into the bottom of the extractor vat to be pumped back into the washer vat or into an, external vessel as'is common practice in the art to which this invention applies. At the outer edge of the frame member an upwardly extending flange 22 is formed which completely encircles the frame member. The flange is decreased in height along the straight edges 24 to aform rests for cover members 26 and '21 when they are-in an open position. on the flat surface The encircling flange prevents fluid l9 from dripping on the floor.

The cover members 28 and 21 are hinged, at

' 28 and 29 respectively, to the upwardly extending flange 22 ..of the frame member. A pair of rubber bumpers ll, secured to the frame member, cushion the fall of the cover members when they are thrown to a closed position. Rubber bumpers 32, one carried by each of; the cover members, engage the portions 24 of the flange and serve to cushion the fall of the cover members when they are thrown to an open position.

The cover members are each provided witdra shed away from the extractor.

handle 33 by which they. may be conveniently raised or lowered.

On its under surface, at each of the side margins thereof, each of the cover members 26 and 21 is provided with a downwardly extendirig flange 36 which, when the cover members are open, as indi- :ated in Figural-2 and 3, serve to confine and direct the flow of liquid which may drip on to the drainboard surfaces.

It will be particularly noted, as shown in Figure 3, that when the cover members are open the drainboard surfaces extend .downwardly away from the extractor so that the liquid is The cover and drainboard structure described isinexpensive to build as all the parts thereof are metal stampings which may be quickly and readily assembled. Moreover, the structure provides not only a cover forthe extractor which is pleasing in appearance, but a pair of drainboards on opposite sides of the extractor which are the most used drainboard positions, one between the washing vat and the extractor andlthe other between the extractor and an external vesseLsuch as a laundry tray, not shown.

It will be apparent that have provided a novel combined cover and drainboard structure boards, said frame ends thereof are mounted side by side upon acommon base, an apertured frame member mounted on the extractor vat independently'of the washing vat with the aperture thereof in registration with the opening in said extractor be made without departing from the vat, said frame having a shelf portion surrounding the aperture thereof and extending outwardly therefrom in a substantially horizontal plane above the washing vat, a pair of closure members hinged to the frame member at opposite sides thereof to swing from a closed position over said aperture to an open position extending in opposite directions from said aperture over and be- I yond corresponding side portions of the frame shelf, said closure members being so constructed and arranged that when in the closed position they constitute a complete cover for the frame aperture and extractor vat opening and when in the open position they constitute downwardly inclined drainboards, one of said members being arranged to extend when in the open position over the washing vat in registration with the opening thereof. 2. In a device of the class described, a vat having an opening at the upper end thereof, a

frame member mounted on the vat and having a shelf portion surrounding said opening and extending outwardly therefrom in substantially a horizontal plane, a pair of closure members hinged to the framemember at opposite sides thereof to, swing from" a closed position over the vat opening to an open position extendin in opposite directions from said opening over and beyond corresponding side portions of the frame shelf, said closure members being of such a character that when they constitute a complete cover for the extractor vat opening and when in the open position they constitute downwardly inclined drainbeing provided with an upwardly extending marginal drip flange completely surrounding the shelf portion thereof.

in the closed position' 3. A device asdeflned in claim 2 wherein a portion-of the drip flange extending beneath the closure members when in the open position is of lessheight'than the remaining portion thereof and forms rests for the closure members when said members are in their open position. 

